“It’s not going to be easy, but I do see another team winning the cup this year,” said Armando Gamboa, owner and head coach of the undefeated Mustangs. “I think it’s time another team wins, and I think there’s a really good chance it will happen.”

There are also signs of growth for the league on the business side. The league’s average attendance more than doubled over the last three seasons – from 656 fans per game in 2011-2012 to 1,353 fans per game this season.

And according to reports in the Dallas Morning News and Baltimore Sun earlier this week, the commissioner of the PASL and many of the league’s owners met with owners from the seven-team Major Indoor Soccer League in Dallas last Sunday to discuss a possible merger of the two leagues.

A merger seems likely and could help to promote stability – 10 of the 20 teams in the PASL this season were new – and could secure a television deal, which is the most important step moving forward.

If there is no merger, then the long-term success of the PASL – both the quality of play on the field and the financial viability off the field – could be in jeopardy. Many teams still compete in sports parks – the same ones that host recreational, coed leagues – instead of arenas. The pacific division championship game between the Legends and the winner of the Sockers-Toros will almost certainly be held at the Las Vegas Sports Park rather than the Orleans Arena because of the cost to use the larger venue.

But whatever the future of the league holds in store, the past has belonged to the Sockers.

“It’s unreal how much the league has grown the last five years,” Luna said. “The improvement is night and day. Before, there were one or two teams who could beat the Sockers. Now, it’s every other game, teams are giving us a good run.”